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Refunds
Taken from: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H3YqidxGEFeXFe7Ap5d7DCJlFHa1AsdTe64P5Ww-cr8/edit To start: If you bought Starbound when it was in Beta and especially on Steam, unfortunately you are not eligible for this. If you bought the Starbound as a pre-order you have the right to a refund, as they didn't release the full game in 2013. There was only two sources of information regarding the purchase of the Starbound pre-order, their store FAQ and their webpage FAQ. There was no other place where information about the conditions of purchase could be found. Also, when promoting the preorder, they officially used the store FAQ as the source of information 1.'' ' The FAQ page when information about pre-orders were announced (and it remained like that until September later that year) it stated the following about Starbound's launch 2: "''Q. If I buy the game today, when will I get to play Starbound? A. Your first chance to play Starbound will be when the beta launches later this year, pre-ordering will ensure you're one of the first to play it."'' ''' "Q. What if you don't get enough pre-orders, will the game be unfinished? A. No, the Starbound is going to make it out in 2013 no matter what. But by pre-ordering you help it get here even faster." They talk about a release in 2013, and never clarify that you are only buying a beta in 2013, and then they say Starbound is going to make it out in 2013 no matter what. There is no clear mention of beta there, which implies that the full version is going to be released instead. This statement was so ambiguous that it had to be changed in September that same year (5 months after preorders were open, and more than two million dollars were raised already)'' ' FAQ page as it was at September 2013 3: Now there is a clear indication that full release will be in 2014, beta 2013: ''' "Q. If I buy the game today, when will I get to play Starbound? A. Your first chance to play Starbound will be when the beta launches later this year, and pre-ordering will ensure you're one of the first to play it. Full release will be in 2014."' ' ' And the statement about Starbound being released in 2013 is no longer there: "Q. What if you don't get enough pre-orders, will the game be unfinished? A. No, we're going to finish Starbound no matter what! ''" ' ''' Changing the page is a clear sign of the original creating confusion and not stating that the only thing you were entitled to in 2013 is a beta. If they removed the "Starbound is going to make it out in 2013 no matter what" line is because it said the game (and a game, by definition, is a full game) was going to be released in 2013, but now it isn't. The fact that it referred to a full game release was supported by the playstarbound.com FAQ at another later date 4: '' ''' "Q. When is it coming out? A. 2013! We’ve given vague estimates in the past that have turned out to be wrong– giving an accurate ETA for a game of Starbound’s size is hard! But rest assured we will release in 2013, and as soon as we know exactly when, we’ll announce it." It also talks about a beta, but this time, there is not even mention of a beta release date, just "when it is ready": ' '"What will it cost? It costs $15 to pre-order the game and get beta access (when it’s ready!) and the soundtrack.” “''Will there be a beta?'' People who pre-order the game will get to participate in an open beta as soon as it’s ready!" In September 2013 that page was also changed to reflect the new terms 5: "Q. When is it coming out? A. Good question! We’re notoriously bad at estimating release dates, but we’re committed to putting out a beta release in 2013. If you want in on that, you can check out our pre-order page here. As soon as we have an exact date for beta and/or release, we’ll let you guys know!" The fact that they had to change the terms (because the FAQ was the only thing that stated what you will get when you pre-order, therefore it is considered the terms of the agreement) reflects that the original terms had not made clear that the 2013 date was only a beta release, as opposed to a full release in 2013. Therefore, you have the right to a refund if you bought a pre-order between April (when pre-registration opened) and September (when the terms changed). Changes in the terms of an agreement can't be applied to you unless you accept it (that's why software terms of agreement make you agree with them every time they are changed). Also, in this case it is a transaction, not a continuous service as software is, meaning the terms you bought the pre-orders under are the terms that should be applied to you. '' ''So, what if you pre-ordered after the terms were changed (September 2013)? Don't worry, as they have broke those terms too, and in a totally non-ambiguous way. They have directly contradicted those terms with their new update. Store FAQ states now (as of the 8th of July, 2014) 6: "Q. If I buy the game today, when will I get to play Starbound? A. You'll be able to play the game via Steam Early Access right away! You may prefer to wait until the game is finished, though, in which case you may be waiting until 2015." So if you bought a pre-order from their page before the 3rd of December (and I suppose even after that if you bought through their page, and not Steam), you have the right to a refund because the terms you bought the game on have been altered and aren't going to be met. References: 1: https://twitter.com/StarboundGame/status/322874829432836096 2: http://web.archive.org/web/20130415232522/http://playstarbound.com/store/faq.php 3: http://web.archive.org/web/20130925003654/http://playstarbound.com/store/faq.php 4: http://web.archive.org/web/20130420182848/http://playstarbound.com/faq/ 5: http://web.archive.org/web/20130926145030/http://playstarbound.com/faq 6: http://playstarbound.com/store/faq.php